RomanPunks is a retrofuturistic, cyberpunk derivative world-building project inspired by fine art, history and the cryptopunk movement.
A total of 1,000 RomanPunk characters have been frozen in time and minted as Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum, WAX, Polygon and Algorand blockchains.
RomanPunk characters are comprised of commoners and famous individuals based on Roman history, art history and pop culture.
The basis for RomanPunk lore and backstories is exhaustively researched by history/sci-fi buff and co-founder, Punktavian.
All images are drawn by hand by woman artist and co-founder, Cleopunktra, without the aid of AI or generative tools.
RomanPunks came into existence through early minting on OpenSea, promoting on Twitter and building a Discord community through giveaways and engagement. The idea of a cyberpunk-derivative ‘RomanPunk’ theme was in our heads for years, but it was the success of the Cryptopunks that became the catalyst for project conception and launch.
After a hard working first 60 days spent networking and attracting new collectors to RomanPunks, our community had begun to flourish and sales increased. We began to offer our collectors an opportunity to battle their NFTs in a tournament bracket powered by dice rolls.
Encouraged by the tight knit community and the carbon-neutral blockchain with lightning fast and low cost transactions, we launched 'romanpunksio' collection on WAX Blockchain as the first step to expand the backstories of our RomanPunk characters and the baseline for future development of a card game.
RomanPunks integrated with Chainlink Labs to utilize VRF (Verified Randomness Function) to host a giveaway raffle for our holders. We developed a smart contract on Ethereum which guarantees true random number selection on chain and can be used for a wide range of functions that require random selection.
After much anticipation in the community, we released our first WAX NFT card 'pack' through the Neftyblocks platform, which sold out in less than a week.
We launched our Twitch channel and begun building an audience by offering numerous giveaways of WAX NFTs from our collection, as well as giving participants a chance to win RomanPunk ETH NFT airdrops for taking top spot at the end of the 'season'.
As firm believers in a metaverse future and land owners in The Sandbox, we undertook to build the RomanPunk Colosseum on 1x1 land and entered our experience "Gladiator Bloodsport" into a GameJam contest. We will continue to build the Colosseum into a PVP arena and social hub once The Sandbox offers creators the ability to do so.
Thanks to the user friendly tools offered by NeftyBlocks, we launched a comprehensive blending system on WAX, allowing our collectors to blend the common NFTs they earn in our Discord RPG up into Legendary famous NFTs through the use of blending 'coins' that can also be earned on the Discord as reward for helping to promote the RomanPunks project.
We launched the VX collection on Polygon. Each owner of an ETH NFT gets their voxel equivalent airdropped to them, and these NFTs can be redeemed for official NFTs on The Sandbox Marketplace once available.
All 1,000 original, unique 1:1 RomanPunk characters hand drawn by Cleopunktra and minted on OpenSea.
The RomanPunk WAX NFT Trading Card Fighter Pack Series II consists of 3 NFTs randomly selected from over 236 characters.
Upcoming plans for RomanPunks include:
Below is a comprehensive and searchable directory of all 1,000 RomanPunk Characters.
Born in 2050 AD in Neo-Volubilis, Juba is a bartender who runs a tiki bar at an opulent luxury resort in Neo-Carthage. Outside of crafting cocktails, he secretly supports cloned Hannibal Barca’s rebellion by providing access to their subterranean rebel base through a hidden entrance under the hotel pool.
Born in 260 AD in Palmyra, Elysia is the daughter of a wealthy priest of Sol Invictus and was advisor to Queen Zenobia. She rose to become a preeminent chronocartographer, a specialized navigator who maps the pathways between dimensions. Upon Aurelian’s invasion, Elysia charmed the emperor, offering her temporal services to immortalize him through time. But hubris brought his end, as a time assassin intervened to stop Aurelian’s power grab.
Born 141 AD in Burdigala, Lur, an acolyte of the Bishop of Lyon, called out Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ stoic philosophy as heresy and was condemned to toil in the wheat fields as punishment. Despite the enslavement, Lur found solace in his love for animals and the teachings of Jesus Christus.
Born 80 BC in Sinope, Kyma lives a simple life as the proprietor of a bait and tackle shop on the Black Sea, when she’s not following her rock star lover, Stevie Stratonice, on an interdimensional concert tour.
Born 207 BC in the port city of Apollonia, Suma was a servant woman caught stealing from a wealthy Roman merchant. For this, she lost her right hand and was pressed into service as a scissor class gladiator in Rome.
Born in 275 BC in Cyrene, Sisa became an expert fighter thanks to an advanced holographic training simulator from the 28th century AD left by her estranged father. Sisa joined the army, helping Hamilcar defeat the Romans in Sicily where she escaped through an interdimensional portal on Mount Eryx to seek out her father.
Born 77 AD in Agrigento, Alan collects all species of birds from Africa, creates genetic copies of them and peddles the fowl replicants at his commercial aviary in Rome.
Born 120 AD in Londinium, Lyra is a dimension-hopping reveler who spends much of her time in a 1980s AD alternate universe, engaging in anti-imperialist activities and seeking out the greatest parties in that halcyon world of Roman hegemony, blending her love for Bacchanalian revelry with a spirit of resistance.
Born 1932 AD in Gordium, Peter is a disreputable yet high-priced criminal defense attorney for the Interdimensional Time Court. He is infamous for his involvement in controversial and high-profile cases, often exonerating culpable clients through dubious means such as evidence tampering, witness elimination, judicial bribery, and jury intimidation.
Born 114 BC in Yeha, Betty joined Spartacus in the Third Servile War in search of her younger brother, Mussa. Upon defeat by the Romans, rather than face crucifixion, Betty was sent by Crassus to fight as a gladiator in a futuristic cybercolosseum.
Born 2182 AD in Naissus, Rada runs an antique photo booth shop in Neo-Carthage’s souk. Armed with a vintage Hasselblad and a closet of outfits spanning millennia, she offers customers a chance to step into another era. But rumors swirl that her collection isn’t just for show—some say she holds a device for interdimensional travel, turning her shop into a refuge for outlaws, exiles, and time-stranded wanderers. Rada remains as inscrutable as her wares, guarding her secrets behind a wry smile and a haze of smoke.
Born 2178 AD in Toletum, Velia is a descendant of King Alaric I, though she finds that about as useful in Neo-Carthage as a souvenir from a forgotten war. A wealthy socialite with a penchant for the morbid, Velia moves through the city’s elite circles with detached amusement. While rebellions and smuggling rings swirl around her, she drifts through it all, unintentionally entangling herself in minor scandals—never quite realizing how close she comes to chaos.
Born 185 AD in Burdigala, Gaius is the prodigal son of the wealthy governor of Aquitania. He frequently disappears to alternate dimensions to indulge in drug and gambling fueled blenders, and is especially fond of cybergladiator contests from the distant future.
Born in 303 BC in Terme on the coast of the Black Sea, Deborah is an Amazonian warrior who portaled to the women-dominated 28th century AD to battle aliens and cyborgs in a futuristic cybercolosseum.
Born 200 AD in Tibur, Tullia is a beautiful socialite who longs to travel through time to discover new fashions from the future.
